Everything from climbing shoes to furnishings provide inspiration for broad trim and colour palettes that are then tailored to suit regional tastes and demands

Advanced and spacious all-new Kuga compact SUV also features creative and practical technologies, such as hands-free automatic tailgate, and rear seats that fold flat at the touch of a button

BRENTWOOD, Essex, April 25, 2012 – Ford designers employed trend spotting on a global scale to ensure the all-new Kuga meets the needs of the customers – wherever they are in the world.

Ford experts identified the varied and often conflicting worldwide tastes to deliver cross-continental appeal for the company’s first global compact SUV. This included reconciling the popularity of larger vehicles in North America with a European preference for more compact cars, and accommodating the popularity of lighter interior materials in Asia with a tendency for European buyers to go for darker shades.

It also meant employing colour, design and spatial solutions to create the finished product as well as ensuring a degree of market-specific customization. The inspiration for trim and colour palettes came from sources as diverse as climbing shoes, make-up, jewellery and furnishings.

“Great design can turn an object that you need to have, into an object you love,” said Chris Bird, design director, Ford of Europe, who is responsible for colour, material and vehicle personalisation. “That is why we put so much thought and feeling into cars like Kuga, making them appealing and relevant no matter where our customers are.

“For example, size-perception is different in each region,” he added. “More customers in Europe and Asia now choose compact SUVs as an alternative to conventional niche products like coupes. In North America there is a growing trend to downsize, but our customers there still want to combine style and space, so it’s important to get that balance.

“We made this work by collaborating closely with our engineering colleagues on details including getting the size of the wheels just right and incorporating Ford’s kinetic design in the exterior dimensions.”

“In Asia, lighter interiors are more desirable,” said Ulrike Dahm, colour and trim supervisor, Ford of Europe, who specialises in Asian markets. “Many people live in huge cities where space is at a premium, so having a light and airy interior is seen as luxurious. In Europe, colours and trim take a lot of influence from the tech industry and are generally darker. Gloss black is a popular choice.”

All-new Ford Kuga will launch with a global colour called Ginger Ale, a subtle green hue to reflect its active outdoor capabilities, but with rich, sophisticated tones to harmonise with the slick urban environment where many models will find a home.

Whilst the all-new Kuga showcases the evolution of Ford’s Kinetic design on the popular compact SUV platform, highlighting its new spacious, high quality interior, it also introduces creative and practical technologies.

These include the hands-free automatic tailgate, which can be opened and closed simply by kicking a foot under the rear bumper.

“Innovative technologies like the hands-free automatic tailgate clearly sets new Kuga apart from its competitors,” said Ford of Europe chairman and CEO Stephen Odell. “But more importantly they provide customers with everyday advantages. All-new Kuga is more spacious, dynamic and capable than the current model, which continues to be popular with our European customers.”

Ford’s voice-activated in-car connectivity system SYNC also will be available on Kuga. It features Emergency Assistance, which enables SYNC to help occupants place a call to the emergency services directly in the event of an accident.

The all-new Kuga features boot-space with an increased capacity of 82-litres, while the rear seats fold flat at the touch of a button.

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